Enhanced mechanical and thermal properties of short carbon fiber reinforced polypropylene composites by graphene oxide

The article reports the mechanical and thermal properties of graphene oxide (GO)/short carbon fiber (SCF)/polypropylene (PP) composite. The GO‐coated SCF (GO‐SCF) was prepared by a simple physical absorption method. The GO filled PP (GO‐PP) was obtained by extrusion melt‐mixing method. Then, GO‐SCF reinforced GO‐PP composite (GO‐SCF/GO‐PP) was prepared via the conventional extrusion compounding and injection molding techniques. The tensile, flexural and impact strengths of GO‐SCF/GO‐PP were obviously improved due to the chemical reaction and mechanical interlocking between the GO on SCF surface and PP. X‐ray diffraction results showed the GO on SCF surface could act as a β‐nucleating agent for PP crystallization. Differentials scanning calorimeter showed that GO‐SCF/GO‐PP had good thermal stability. Therefore, the multiscale and synergistic effects of GO‐SCF/GO‐PP show the extensive potential on improving mechanical and thermal performance for various fields. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:405–413, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers